Just another day at the office plays out on stage

Photo courtesy of Photography by Anne Window washer J. Pierrepont Finch, hopes to learn "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" in the Arts Center's production of the Tony Award winning musical that opens next week. Drew Taylor portrays World Wide Wicket Company president J.B. Biggley, with Anthony Christian Daniel as the wily Finch.

Will he get the job AND the girl? Trying to get to the top of the corporate ladder, Finch (Anthony Christian Daniel) falls in love with secretary Rosemary Pilkington (Natalie Newman) who's got her own plans for the future.

For Bluffton Today

Long before corporate America became comic fodder for late night talk shows, the Broadway musical “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” was lampooning big business and all it holds sacred.

Abe Burrows and Frank Loesser, the creative team behind Guys and Dolls, took another day at the office and transformed it into a delirious evening of theater. Working folks across the country were cheering for J. Pierrepont Finch, the wily window washer who schemes his way up the corporate ladder.

With catchy songs, flashy choreography and lots of laughs, How to Succeed is still entertaining audiences 50 years after it made its Broadway debut.

The Arts Center of Coastal Carolina will present the show April 25 through May 27 in its Elizabeth Wallace Theatre. Playing Finch is New York actor Anthony Christian Daniel, whose theatre credits include national tours of Mary Poppins and High School Musical.

“There’s something in Finch that everyone can connect with,” Daniel said. “He’s doing what we all wish we could do — getting to the top without having to work for it.”

Set in the early 1960s, the story begins when Finch discovers the how-to handbook, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” Following the manual’s step-by-step instructions, he cons his way into a job in the mailroom at the World Wide Wicket Company.

Before long, he has bypassed the boss’ nephew to become a junior executive in the Madison Avenue company. He continues to flirt and flatter his way to the top, and in the process, falls in love with secretary Rosemary Pilkington, who’s chasing her own dreams.

“Come prepared to have a good time,” said Natalie Newman, cast as Rosemary in her fourth production of the musical. “It’s the kind of show that will get you tapping your toes and whistling a tune. It’s just fun.”

One of the cleverest numbers in the show pokes fun at the office ritual of the coffee break. At the appointed hour, the staff lines up in front of the “shining shrine” only to find it empty. “If I can’t make three daily trips … and taste cardboard between my lips,” the group laments, “something within me dies.”

The original production of How to Succeed in Business won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and seven Tony Awards, including Best Music and Best Book. A 2011 revival is currently playing on Broadway.

IF YOU GO

What: “How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”

When: 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday with Sunday shows at 2 p.m. and a 7 p.m. show on April 29 and May 27.

Where: Arts Center of Coastal Carolina

Cost: Tickets are $55 ($50 for the April 25 and 26 previews), $39 for children 15 and younger ($35 for the previews) and may be purchased at the Arts Center box office, online at www.artshhi.com or by phone with a credit card by calling 842-ARTS (2787).

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